Over the years, society and its interpretation of the roles and responsibilities from the social, economic, and political perspectives have portrayed different ideologies between males and females. Generally, men have dominated the situations since most of the opportunities, and the aspects of strength have made them more vocal, creating some aspect of inequality. However, in the recent past feminist approach has tried to shape the views of society by advocating for equality by respecting diverse women’s experiences. The movement aims to enable females to realize and explore their full potential without limitation as a woman. Literature is at the forefront of promoting and displaying the concept of feminism from various angles, including leadership, love life, and other aspects that indicate the attainment of rights. Currently, feminism ideology has significantly impacted the literature, causing a twist in gender roles whereby emphasis is directed toward everyday life and concerns manifested through the development of strong characters in the play.
Many works of literature have adopted the tendency of building strong women characters to uncover the reality of dominance they encounter in society. According to the article “Re-interpreting a Doll’s House through Post-modernist Feminist Projections” by Hossain (8), the author explores the creation of feminism in the literature. Based on the writings, a woman’s character is developed to portray the experience females undergo in the community explicitly. The play captured key aspects that surround the life of women and the kind of discrimination they deal with in society in everyday life. The author develops the feminist agenda by revolutionizing the prejudiced situations that undermine females’ rights. The book depicts some crucial facets that display how women are perceived based on gender. For instance, according to Torvald, Nora’s husband, the inability of Nora to understand matters concerning money and its usage is because she is a woman. In other words, if Nora were a man, then her knowledge of money would be better. This assertion contributes to the expression of inequality based on gender roles.
The persona created by Ibsen, Nora, seemed to be fragile and required protection, love, and care, just like other individuals. From the narrations, it is clear that women need recognition to realize their full right to life (Akter 82). By focusing on the character, the book portrays the demand for feminism in society to allow females to have the ability and potential to undertake some responsibilities persevered by their male counterparts. Assigning Nora her character traits communicates effectively about modern feminism and the impact it can have on the welfare of women in society.
Similarly, the literature work by Susan Glaspell plays a significant role in portraying and reflecting in detail the aspects of feminism. It encompasses male and female characters that provide a clear perspective of the sexes based on their gender role. During the investigation, the male detectives that are the Sheriff, and the Attorney, concluded by saying there was nothing essential in the room where they were looking for evidence about the death of John Wright. The only elements they could see were only the kitchen items which did not add value to their investigation. Based on their perspective, they view and undermine the responsibility of women in society. However, after leaving the kitchen and heading to the crime scene, both Mrs. Peters and Hale depict some subtle details that their male counterparts could not see in the kitchen.
The female characters incorporated in the literature played a significant role in relating the perception of society to gender roles. By being able to unveil minor details that male detectives could not expose, it shows the aspect of feminism and the ability of women to perform duties efficiently as men (Susan and McEwen). Therefore, by prioritizing the critical scenes of the play by females, the idea of feminism is on the verge of gaining strong momentum, and people are beginning to realize that women are worthy and can undertake complex roles as well in society. Despite undermining women, they have the potential to examine issues in detail that can bring effective solutions in the end.
Moreover, in the book “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the author portrays the aspect of feminism through the protagonist, Emily, the female who has been troubled by the masculine society. It is clear that Emily’s father completely controlled her social welfare to the extent of denying her the right to be married. The aspect of dominance made the father authority over his daughter. Furthermore, based on gender roles, the literature indicates a perfect exhibition whereby during the funeral of Emily, men attended it to show respect and honor, but females went to see the house of the deceased (Faulkner et al.). The assertion displays that women are typically less honorable in society. In addition, the town where Emily lived tended to give its residents gender-based roles whereby some duties were expected to be undertaken by men only.
Despite the focus on gender roles and feminist perspectives, the literature does not effectively portray the overall perception of feminists. The character developed by the females at some point proves technical and lowers the aspect of love in the community. Advocating for equality and recognition through character development is significant; however, due to misinterpretation, some women fail to use the opportunities they have accordingly. Various negative impacts of feminism do not serve the interest of the people in society (Uddin 371). For instance, the ideology of feminism might sound like resistance to some females. If this scenario happens, most of the women will be at the core of resistance, thus creating significant disagreement between them and men. Females might become hostile both politically and socially when the idea of feminism dominates their viewpoints. This will lower the connection that exists in families, therefore, leading to the collapse of social communities. In other words, the practice might prompt the reduction of literature about love that people enjoy hence causing misery to human beings.
Similarly, the concept of feminism being portrayed in the literature has the potential to increase the aspect of promiscuity among women. Generally, females are expected to remain loyal and submissive to their male counterparts. Introducing freedom might enable them to engage in other activities such as having sex with many people. The feminist approach creates the situation of self-rule whereby women would feel they have the power to perform whatever they deem right to them (Moore and Stathi 274). Such encounters, in the long run, can be detrimental to the well-being of society, and the overall respect for females would diminish, leaving them vulnerable to different conditions.
The structure of society is based on the concept and practice of marriage. Cultivating the culture of feminism is putting the institution at greater risk. Exposing women to equality and providing them with relevant opportunities to advance themselves might make them feel good enough to exist on their own. The aspect would shun the perspective of marriage, leaving the majority of females to have no husbands or constructive families. The belief in feminism is therefore harmful to the growth and development of societies. It makes people lose their background culture and respect for the observable difference between the two genders.
Furthermore, feminist ideology is a recipe for creating unhealthy competition between men and women. In the past, females were considered weak, while men remained strong individuals in society. Creating a different perspective that both genders have the same capabilities psychologically and physically is appropriate for the well-being of society. The approach will eliminate the division of labor in the community hence making it difficult to have stronger and more effective development. Without this philosophy, women and men used to focus on what they do best, for instance, females taking care of the families and young ones and men providing security and food for the households. Therefore, specialization is essential in promoting unity and togetherness because no party is undertaking the duty of another, leaving a clear line of responsibility. Gender role rivalry might significantly impact the social, economic, and political welfare leading to the retrogressive development of families in the community.
In summary, the incorporation of feminism in the literature has played a significant role in manifesting the challenges and oppression that women undergo following the complexity and the aspect of a patriarchal society. From the various angles that the idea of feminism is portrayed from the past to the present social setup, it is essential to embrace and promote modern feminists. Thus, people should have the opportunity to explore their abilities without the limitation of gender issues to create a world of possibilities. For instance, women are capable of performing duties keenly; hence combining their efforts with those of men will lead to a successful outcome. Furthermore, the practice will allow females to explore their skills and gain different experiences to better their lives and society as a whole.
Works Cited
Akter, Saima. “Re-reading Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House: A Modern Feminist Perspective.” International Journal of English and Comparative Literary Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 2021, pp. 79-87.
Faulkner, William, John Carradine, and Anjelica Huston. A rose for Emily. Paderborn, De: Verlag F. Schöningh, 1958.
Hossain, Amir. “Re-interpreting A Doll’s House through Post-modernist Feminist Projections.” IRWLE, vol. 11, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1-14.
Moore, Anna, and Sofia Stathi. “The Impact of Feminist Stereotypes and Sexual Identity on Feminist Self-Identification and Collective Action.” The Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 160, no. 3, 2020, pp. 267-281.
Susan Glaspell, Rolf McEwen. Trifles Create Space Independent Publishing Platform, 2016.
Uddin, Md Abu Saleh Nizam. “Feminism and Its Impact on the Literature of Love.” Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature, vol. 16, no. 2, 2022, pp. 364-376.